Sackcloth & Ashes, Blankets with a Mission

Founded by Bob Dalton, Sackcloth & Ashes, was established after his hardworking single mother found herself living on the streets in 2013.

With no previous experience in start-ups Bob decided to create his own brand of high-quality blankets and, inspired by the one-for-one business model made famous by TOMS, to give one blanket to a homeless shelter for each blanket sold.

Named after from the ancient Jewish symbolism for mourning and repentance and manufactured in Los Angeles, India, and Peru, the blanket come in a variety of designs and materials, including fleece, plaid alpaca and tribal. Careful not to use the homeless to market the Sackcloth brand, Brand decided from the early stage that no photos of homeless people would be found on the company’s website and that the blankets given away would not have the Sackcloth label on them.

Since launching the business in June 2014, the company has sold more than 3,000 blankets, has been picked up by Anthropologie and featured on Instagram’s main account while steadily growing a good following of enthusiasts.